two

Lying in bed, tossing and turning, the phrase "You must seize the opportunity" kept echoing in my mind

The entire night passed in a state of muddled dreams

I saw the girl behind us alternating between red and white in her face, and the boys' indifference clearly provoked her sense of self-esteem. She cast a hostile glance at me, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. I thought to myself that I shouldn't have paid attention to him, realizing it a bit too late.

My hand holding the chopsticks paused, my cheeks flushed, and my face inexplicably felt a bit warm

"Oh, that young man is quite charming and has a good character. Now that you are older, your parents can no longer control you. When you meet someone suitable, you must seize the opportunity." A bowl of noodles was placed in front of me, and the plump aunt winked at me meaningfully.

The trajectory of life is akin to a circle

However, he quickly changed his tone and comforted me by saying, "Indeed, just starting university, it is important to build good relationships with classmates, and there is no need to go home every day. Moreover, you get motion sickness, and your body cannot handle it."

After finishing the call with Lin Jiaxuan, he spoke with delight and asked me to deliver the fried rice to the boys' dormitory downstairs. As I walked over, unexpectedly, I encountered some unforeseen circumstances while passing through an academic building.

The young man walked a few steps towards me without making a sound, standing by the railing in the corridor, looking down at me from a height, and retorted, "What do you think?"

Lin Jiaxuan said that I resemble a deep pool of water, with thoughts as profound as the depths, appearing lifeless on the surface, unable to stir up waves, simply because no one has thrown stones into it. He does not realize that he is that very stone.

"Just starting university, are you getting used to life at school?" Her tone rose slightly, and the question warmed my heart.

I was taken aback, as she was referring to Lin Jiaxuan, who had come here to eat noodles with me a few times. ... After living in Huacheng for so many years, Lin Jiaxuan was my neighbor, my only friend, and also my only ... . ... Achilles' heel

I instinctively reached out my hand to take the phone from my pocket, hoping to seize the opportunity to escape this awkward situation; however, before I could pull out the phone, Lin Jiaxuan appeared at the entrance of the building.

"Don't ignore me! Your mother has mentioned it several times already." Shen Huai murmured, his tone tinged with a hint of disappointment

Shen Huai, feeling uneasy, gave a few more reminders before hanging up the phone. Shen Huai and his mother settled in Huacheng, a small city with a spring-like climate all year round, which is only about two hours away by high-speed train from City C, where I am. At the beginning of Fang Chongyan and his mother's marriage, they lived in an old house of over 80 square meters in City C. Later, as Fang Chongyan's business grew larger, he bought luxury cars and a seaside villa, often not returning home.

The caller ID shows Shen Huai. Even after living together for so long, I still do not wish to label his name as 'Dad'. In this world, there is only one person who is Fang Weiyang's father, and his name is Fang Chongyan

The young man is wearing a cream-colored pullover sweater and casual pants, his figure tall and slender, with his back turned towards me, exuding an aura that suggests he is not to be approached. From my perspective, I can only see the girl in front of him, holding a metal box of chocolates, nervously speaking her confession with her head bowed. As the last note of her words fades, she raises her head, anxiously looking at him, eagerly awaiting his response

Do we know each other? I looked at him, unable to retrieve any information about this person from my mind

Hearing his voice, I felt as if I had been saved, and my entire being relaxed

Over the past two weekends, I returned to Flower City out of sheer boredom. This Friday, that is today, after class, I made a spontaneous decision to visit Fang Chongyan's seaside villa, which led to the subsequent events, and before I knew it, it had become so late. It was only when Shen Huai called me that I realized I had already missed the last high-speed train back to Flower City

"It's alright, I just haven't made any new friends yet," I replied with raised eyebrows, feeling completely enveloped in her concern

My footsteps halted on the third step, and I heard a cold voice behind me. I turned my head and saw a pair of deep-set eyes

He is quite busy. I casually came up with a reason

The next morning, I tidied up and returned to school. Perhaps it was the onset of autumn, as the morning air had turned cold and leaves began to fall one by one.

A plump aunt with a prosperous appearance greeted me with a smile as I entered. I nodded in response, smiling, and found an empty seat to sit down.

I am frozen in place by this sentence

"Hmm, I know." I obediently replied

The sound of the phone ringing chimed, and I suddenly came to my senses

Even bystanders can see through my thoughts. Indeed, have I been too obvious in my behavior? And what is it that the person I constantly think about, the one who has awakened my feelings, truly holds in his heart?

Reality forces him to work tirelessly to earn money, and it also shatters their marriage into pieces.

Over the years, I have watched time slowly etch its marks on her face, with white hair quietly creeping onto her head. She often hums that she will return to her hometown after these two years, yet year after year, it seems endless

I did not expect him to suddenly greet me, casually saying: "Oh, it's you!"

The smile that surfaced in his eyes made me furrow my brows

"I will, thank you, Aunt." I replied vaguely, burying my head in the noodles.

Such a gaze makes me unable to help but doubt whether he and I are acquainted

"It's nothing, friends are all made from nothing to something, you know," said Aunt Pang nonchalantly, looking at me. She suddenly changed the subject, "That boy didn't come with you? I haven't seen him for quite a while after meeting him a few times."

Aunt Pang held a large spoon, her eyes turned towards me: "As usual, a bowl of beef noodles, no green onions?"

The cold night enveloped me, causing me to shiver. July smiled at me and then walked down the path ahead.

I arrived at the bottom of the old house, ready to have a bowl of noodles, sleep upstairs for a night, and return to the dormitory tomorrow

Unintentionally witnessing this scene, the girl's beautiful face and courage brought a smile to my lips. Not wishing to disturb them, I did not walk straight ahead, but instead turned left and passed by the flowerbed.

Fang Chongyan left with an adopted son who shares no blood relation with him, showing not the slightest concern for his biological daughter

Before my mother met Shen Huaiqian, I would occasionally stay at Fang Chongyan's place; after my mother remarried, she took me and moved away from City C. Every year during the winter and summer vacations, I would always use the excuse of returning to my hometown to visit the empty villa by the seaside. And now, I have been admitted to a university in City C and have returned here

Hmm. I smiled.

The slender handmade noodles were slapped, pulled, and twisted in her hands, skillfully coiling them several times before being tossed into the bubbling hot pot in front of her, with milky white steam rising gently.

The "Chunyu Noodle House" is one of the few warm places in my memories of City C. When I was a child and my parents were too busy to take care of me, I would often sit alone in front of the noodle shop, enviously watching the customers eat. The proprietress, a plump woman from Northeast China, ran the business here with her husband. Whenever she saw me, she would always pull me inside and generously serve me a small bowl of steaming hot noodles, and sometimes she would even give me a few candies.

The school is not far from the old house. I originally applied to be a day student, but shortly after the semester began, a third-year student had an accident while renting a house off-campus. The school then mandated that all enrolled students must reside in the dormitories arranged by the school. Consequently, I had no choice but to move out of the old house and into the school dormitory. In the new dormitory, there are three other girls from different majors living with me; they all have their own social circles and I am not very familiar with them.

Someone is confessing their feelings. To be precise, a girl is confessing her feelings to a boy

Therefore, I have decided not to return this week

The warm fried rice is placed in the backpack, intended for Lin Jiaxuan. He enjoys the fried rice I make. I forgot to mention that he is still my schoolmate; Lin Jiaxuan and I were admitted to the same university. At that time, I asked him why, with such good grades, he chose to come to City C. Lin Jiaxuan looked at me with his bright eyes and smiled, saying that he wanted to see the city where I had lived.

No, I replied softly

He saw me and happily waved at me, saying, "Over here!"

Here I come

"Weiyang, are you coming home this week?" As the call connected, Shen Huai's warm and deep voice lingered in my ears

Look, I still care so much

At that moment, Lin Jiaxuan's tone was excessively gentle, and I could hear the sound of my own heart "thumping" in a disordered rhythm, sinking and getting lost in his gaze

That youーー

He is always so polite and amiable towards me

"Who is she? I can't stand her!" The question was interrupted by the girl's angry inquiry.

Aunt Pang said that in her hometown, she has a daughter who is about the same age as me, and whenever she sees me, she is reminded of her own girl.

A boy tells a girl that he wants to see the city where she has lived, does this mean he wants to explore the period of her life during which he was absent?

After finishing dinner, I returned home and made a serving of fried rice. I noticed the blurred string of numbers in my palm. After hesitating for a moment, I decided to save the number in my phone's contacts. Then, I completed my evening routine and went to bed.

At that moment, he happened to turn his head, his high nose bridge and cool brows, and when he clearly saw my face, there was a momentary ripple of surprise and astonishment in his eyes